Human Pokémon
by Crocodile-Kuro
Summary: Iris sees a new show that's all the rage and wants to know its secrets, but she discovers more than she ever meant or wanted to.
1. Human Pokémon Chapter 1

**_A/N: I don't own Pokémon or any of its characters._**

May, Dawn and Iris were spending a little vacation on an island just south of the Sinnoh region. They chose this place because it got plenty of sun and there were plenty of things that they could do together.

"Hey, did you see this?"

May and Dawn looked at Iris, who was staring at a poster for some show that was in the local theater.

May walked up and asked, "What about it?"

Iris said, "It's all the people here talk about. Apparently, there are humans who can use moves just like Pokémon can!"

Dawn arched an eyebrow and said, "That's hard to believe."

Iris said, "Well, why don't we go and see if this is real or not. If it's just some cheap trick, we won't bother with it any longer."

"And what if it's real?" May asked.

"If it's real, we ask if we can learn Pokémon moves too! Come on; don't try to tell me you've never wondered what it feels like to use Pokémon moves."

May and Dawn looked at each other, and then sighed.

"Well, if this is what you want to do, then let's go," May said.

"Who knows, it might be fun," Dawn added.

Iris smiled and ran inside the theater for tickets.

After the show started, a man walked on stage to a roaring crowd.

"Welcome to the thirteenth week of the show. This is the last week we'll be doing the show in this town this year, so we hope you enjoy it. I am Ryder, your host, but you didn't come to see me, so let's bring out our stars!"

The audience clapped wildly as Ryder brought out three Poké Balls and threw them in the air. The balls opened and a blinding light emerged from them. The light faded to reveal three human women, who immediately struck poses as they made their grand entrance.

May and Dawn looked a little surprised to see the three women, while Iris, unaware of their surprise, clapped louder than anyone in the back.

"Hey, May, don't those two on the left look like Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny?" Dawn whispered to her friend.

"Yeah, and the one on the right looks like Misty!"

"The Cerulean City Gym Leader?"

"Yes. She disappeared four months ago, along with the Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny of that city. One day, they were going about their normal lives, and the next they vanished without a trace. I've been trying to find them for the past few weeks, but haven't had any clues...until now."

The girl who looked like Misty, who wore a Goldeen suit, walked forward on stage and said in a happy (almost ditzy) voice, "Welcome! My name is Goldy!"

The Nurse Joy look-alike, who dressed herself in a Chansey suit, strutted upstage and said in a sultry voice, "Hey, everybody! I'm Chance!"

The Officer Jenny look-alike, who was dressed in a Growlithe suit, hopped forward and said in a southern accent, "Howdy, y'all! I'm Lynne!"

Everybody clapped again, while Dawn and May stared at the three women on stage. They definitely looked like the three who had gone missing, but their attitudes and names were wrong.

Goldy got between her partners and said, "So, what're we gonna do today?"

Chance smiled and said, "Well, we could do the usual, or we could try out that new routine we've been practicing."

Lynne jumped up and down and said, "Ooh! Let's do that! I've just been itching to give that a go-around in public! Whatya say, Ryder, hon?"

Ryder looked at the three women and said, "Do whatever you want. It's your show."

Everybody smiled and Goldy immediately began by spouting water out of her mouth that formed into a giant, blue orb of water.

Dawn and May sat stunned and Iris said, "Wow! What a beautiful Water Pulse!"

Chance blew a kiss and made her eyes glow blue while she manipulated the Water Pulse to form various patterns that wowed the crowd. Lynne hopped up and said, "Great Psychic, sugar, but they ain't seen nothin' yet!" She then spun around, surrounding herself in flames and dove into the water. She then stopped spinning and let loose a barrage of fireballs around the orb's inside, causing it to dissipate and shower the audience with shiny, non-dampening droplets of water.

Ryder stepped forward and said, "Girls, that was amazing! For those of you who didn't know, Goldy started out with a beautiful Water Pulse. Chance then used her Psychic to form the Water Pulse into the beautiful patterns you saw. Finally, Lynne ended with a stellar combination of charging into the Water Pulse with Flame Wheel and dispatching the water with Flame Burst. Brilliant display, girls!"

The audience cheered wildly, with Iris cheering the loudest. May and Dawn sat in complete awe. Goldy, Chance and Lynne had successfully performed Pokémon moves without any outside aid! They had to learn how they did it.

Goldy giggled and said, "Well, that was a blast, but unfortunately, that's all the time we have today."

As the audience groaned, Chance winked and said, "Don't worry. We'll be sure to visit our favorite party town in the future."

Lynne waved at the audience and said, "That's right, so y'all come back, now, ya hear?"

Ryder then stepped forward and said, "Wait a minute, girls. Before we end the show tonight, I would like to invite three lucky members of our audience to a private meeting with me and my girls, where we can discuss anything you would like to know about."

Goldy clapped. "Wonderful! I wonder who it'll be."

Chance licked her lips and said, "If one of them is a man, I'll be very happy." The men in the audience whistled and shouted catcalls at the comment.

Lynne smiled and said, "Those folks are so lucky to be meetin' us, hon. Can't you tell us who they are?"

Ryder pulled out a piece of paper and said, "They will be the ones sitting in...seats 15a, 15b, and 15c!"

Iris stood up and said, "That's us! Me and my friends!"

Ryder looked at the three girls and smiled. "Well, I'll be looking forward to talking with you. Meet me backstage in thirty minutes. As for the rest of you, we hope to see you again!"

Ryder and the three women took a bow and walked offstage, leaving a screaming audience, an excited Iris and a nervous Dawn and May behind.

(Thirty minutes later)

Iris dragged Dawn and May to the door with Ryder's name on it.

"Come on, you guys! Don't you want to know how he taught those girls how to use Pokémon moves?"

Dawn said, "I'm not sure we should be talking to this guy. I got a weird vibe from him, something I didn't like."

May said, "I got that same feeling, but I also feel like I've met Goldy, Chance and Lynne somewhere before."

"Y'all say my name, hon?"

Dawn, Iris and May turned to see Lynne, still dressed in the Growlithe suit she wore in her performance. May thought it was surreal how she looked so much like Officer Jenny.

Iris said, "Hey, Lynne! We were just about to see if Ryder was ready for us."

Lynne smiled and said, "Well, Ryder ain't in his dressin' room no more. He's out on his tour bus if y'all are waitin' to meet 'im."

"Could you show us the way, please?"

"I don't see why I can't. Follow me, honey-chil'."

Iris now dragged Dawn and May to follow Lynne to the tour bus.

Lynne called in the tour bus, "Ryder, hon, them three girls from today's audience are out here waitin' to meet ya."

Ryder called out, "Thank you, Lynne. Send them in."

Lynne turned to the girls and said, "Y'all can see Ryder now," then climbed into the bus. Iris was quick to follow, with Dawn and May reluctantly following suit.

As soon as they entered, a Pokémon jumped on to each girl. Iris had found an Emolga scurrying through her hair, Dawn found a baby Pachirisu jumping in her arms and May found a Beautifly landing on her head.

Ryder laughed and said, "I think they like you girls. Anyway, to start things off, I would like to know what you thought of today's performance."

Iris said, "It was awesome! In fact, I was wondering if you could teach me how to use Pokémon moves, too."

Ryder asked, "Why would you want to know how to use Pokémon moves?"

Iris responded, "So I could help train my Pokémon better."

Ryder laughed. "That's quite a bold reason, but it's the first one like it I've heard. Most people who ask for that only want it for power."

Dawn interrupted the conversation. "Excuse me, but how exactly do you go about teaching humans how to use Pokémon moves? It just seems impossible to me."

Ryder smirked and said, "Nothing is impossible, my dear. Sometimes it's just beyond our reach, but that gap can be easily bridged if you know how to get there."

May interrupted, "I was wondering how you managed to get three assistants crazy enough to try to learn Pokémon moves."

"Well, I-"

"Also, after looking at Lynne up close, I'm firmly convinced that she's the Officer Jenny that was kidnapped in Cerulean City. What kind of sick, twisted game are you playing here? What's really going on?"

Iris said, "May, what are you doing?"

Ryder frowned. "What a pity. You found me out so quickly. Well, no matter. Haunter, use Hypnosis."

A Haunter materialized out of nowhere and made its eyes glow a sinister reddish-purple color. Iris, Dawn and May struggled for a while, but eventually succumbed to the hypnosis and fell asleep.

Iris slowly began to open her eyes after a while. She immediately noticed that something was strange. She was in a lab of some kind, underground she guessed from the lack of windows. She also saw Ryder in a lab coat messing around with a computer.

"Ryder, what's the meaning of this?"

Ryder looked up from his computer and noticed Iris. "Oh, so the hypnosis finally wore off."

Iris was angry when she continued talking to him. "So, is what May and Dawn suspect true? Did you kidnap Misty, Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny from Cerulean City and turn them into your performing slaves?"

Ryder spoke without hesitating. "That's a question with a complicated answer, my dear. Let me see if I can explain it to you.

You see I wasn't originally in show business. I was first a scientist under the employ of Team Rocket. I presented my Boss, Giovanni, with a method I had created that could make humans capable of using a Pokémon's move set. Giovanni was intrigued by the idea, but refused to publicly fund the project. I developed a prototype of the machine in my designs, but by then your little friend Ash drove Giovanni out of his seat of power. The new executives that now run Team Rocket refused to fund my project any further and cut all ties with me.

Needless to say, I found their treatment of me to be rather rude and uncalled for, for lack of better words. So I decided to go ahead and test out my theory. I already had my own Pokémon who were willing to help me with my project. All I needed were human test subjects. That's where the three women you mentioned came into play. My original lab was stationed near Cerulean City, so it was fairly easy to gain access to the three. After I made my tests, it turned out that my method was possible, although there were some...adjustments I had to make."

"Great story, but I still don't know what this has to with why the three women you kidnapped are now performing for you under assumed names and attitudes."

"Don't worry about that, Iris. You'll find out soon enough."

Ryder then walked up to Iris. Iris noticed that as he got closer, he seemed to get taller, even taller than he was when she last met him on the bus. He then reached over and removed something from her neck.

Naturally, Iris protested. "Hey, what do you think E, Emolga?"

Iris then stopped talking and tried to say her name several times. "Emol, Emolga, EMOLGA!"

It was only then that she looked down to see her body. She realized that she had been turned into an Emolga!

"E, Emol, EMOLGA!" ("What's going on here?") Iris screamed.

"Aw, how cute. The little pipsqueak is trying to figure out what happened."

Iris turned to the source of the comment, afraid of where this was going to go. Sure enough, her fears were confirmed.

She was staring at her own body, wearing a performance suit based on Emolga. She had a wicked grin on her face that Iris cringed at. Iris knew that was her body, but who was inside it?

("Who or what are you?")

Iris's body smiled. "What an idiot you are. I'm Emolga, genius, but Master Ryder calls me 'Emmy'."

("Wait, how can you understand me?")

"It shouldn't come as any surprise, pipsqueak. I was once a Pokémon, so I know how to speak the language."

("If you can understand me, then you can tell that creep Ryder I want my body back now, or I'll-")

Emmy then lifted her finger and sent a wave of electricity at Iris, leaving her in a state of paralysis.

"I can't stand noisy brats like you thinking they can threaten us."

("How…How did you…?")

"How did I use Thunder Wave while in your body? Simple. Master Ryder used the device he told you about to not only swap our bodies, but also improve your body to be able to use all my moves. Seriously, try to piece together the pieces yourself, pipsqueak."

"Now, now, Emmy. Don't be rude. After all, it's all thanks to Iris here that you, Patty and Beauty were finally able to get human bodies. You should be thanking her," Ryder said, stroking Emmy's hair.

("Wait, 'new bodies'? Does that mean…Where are May and Dawn?")

Emmy looked at the door. "I think they can tell you, pipsqueak."

Iris looked to see Dawn and May's bodies, but Dawn was dressed in a performance outfit with a Pachirisu motif, while May looked like a Beautifly in her outfit.

Iris got depressed. ("Those aren't my friends, are they?")

Emmy clapped her hands. "Finally, the pipsqueak gets one right without my saying anything."

Dawn's body walked over to Iris and smiled. "Emmy, can I pwease pway with your body? It wooks so pwetty."

Iris was put off from the baby speak coming from Dawn's mouth.

May's body walked over and said, "You'll have to forgive Patty. She was just born a week ago and hasn't fully mastered her pronunciation skills. Hello, I'm Beauty and I was the Beautifly that chose this body to inhabit, just as Emmy chose your body and Patty chose her body."

Patty looked up to Beauty and said, "Mommy, I wanna pway with Emmy's body. Can I?"

Beauty smiled at Patty. "I'm afraid you can't, dear. We have things to be doing to help Master Ryder. Besides you have new toys to play with back in your room, so you shouldn't have to ask for things like that."

Patty smiled and said, "Okay, Mommy. Thank you for tewwing me."

Emmy looked at Beauty. "Mommy?"

Beauty sighed. "I've had to show her how things are done around here, so she thinks I'm her mother. It's challenging, but rewarding at the same time."

Ryder said, "That's enough, you three. Take Iris to the cells with the rest of the girls. You have some rehearsing to do for your debut show."

Emmy grabbed Iris and took her to the basement of the lab. Once there, she opened a plastic box with air holes and threw Iris in.

"And since I'm not completely heartless, I'll let you speak human again. After all, this place is soundproof, so no one can hear you down here, pipsqueak." After placing a collar on Iris's neck, Emmy went upstairs to rehearse.

Iris yelled, "Don't think I'll just stay in here forever, you monster!"

"It's no use, Iris."

Iris turned to see a Goldeen, Growlithe, Chansey, Beautifly and Pachirisu in cells near her. Iris knew that these were her friends now, thanks to that hack scientist.

Misty, the Goldeen, said, "Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny and I have been imprisoned here for the last four months, and there's no way out."

Iris said, "How can there be no way out? We're Pokémon now. We can just blast out of here and-"

"No we can't," Nurse Joy, the Chansey, said. "They put something in our ears that prohibits us from using Pokémon moves by letting out a painful noise. We can't remove it or else the same noise will appear and stop us in our tracks."

Iris tried a Shock Wave, but heard the painful noise course through her ears until she stopped trying. She accepted her fate for the moment, but still didn't give up hope. "I'm going to find a way to get our bodies back no matter what. I'll just have to be patient until then."


	2. Human Pokémon Chapter 2

_**A/N: I don't own Pokemon or any of its characters.**_

Cynthia looked around the Sinnoh region looking for any sign of the three girls who had disappeared two weeks ago. When asked about their whereabouts, the townspeople in the last town the girls were seen in said that they received an invitation to meet a talented man named Ryder, who could somehow teach humans how to use Pokémon moves. When she heard this, Cynthia immediately recruited Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader, and Lorelei of the Kanto Elite Four to help her stalk Ryder in the hopes of finding out anything about the girls.

Eventually, their trail of clues led them to a small seaport outside of Canalave City. There, they saw Ryder, accompanied by two people in wide-brimmed hats and trench coats obscuring any identifiable features, boarding a moderately small liner heading out to the Kanto region. Cynthia decided to follow Ryder on board, using her status as Pokémon League Champion of Sinnoh to get her and her friends on the liner for free.

Three days out at sea, Lorelei was standing out on the rail on the ship, thinking about what Cynthia had asked her to do.

"How does this Ryder person fit into the disappearances? So far, all we're going on is mere coincidence. What makes Cynthia so sure that he's connected to them?"

As she thought this, Lorelei saw Ryder and one of his travelling companions set up a few chairs near the front of the liner. She decided to hang back and see if there really was any connection by observing Ryder's behavior.

"You must be excited after that week of successful shows, Emmy," Ryder told his companion.

"You bet I am," the other person said. "It felt so good to show off my skills to those foolish humans."

"Humans?" Lorelei thought. "But she's a human herself. Why would she say something like that?"

"Careful you don't talk too loud, Emmy. You never know who could be listening."

"No one is out here with us. Who could've possibly heard?" Emmy said while removing her coat.

Lorelei nearly gasped when Emmy let her coat drop to the ground. Emmy looked exactly like Iris, one of the girls who had gone missing. She was wearing a one-piece suit that was patterned after a Pokémon she only recently heard about called Emolga. Now she was convinced of Ryder's involvement in the disappearances. He must have kidnapped those poor girls and hypnotized them to believe they were Pokémon loyal only to him. She turned to go tell her friends…

…and was met with a Haunter, who swiftly entered her body. Lorelei struggled for a while, then suddenly went limp. When she straightened up again, her eyes were glazed over. She then calmly walked to Ryder and Emmy and bowed.

"What's this about?" Ryder asked.

"This woman tried to expose us to two other trainers trying to capture us. She needs to be dealt with, Master Ryder," Lorelei said, revealing herself to be possessed by Haunter.

Emmy said, "I told you a plane home was a better idea. This is really bad!"

Ryder just smiled. "No, this is just perfect."

Haunter and Emmy were surprised and said in unison, "How is this perfect?"

"Simple. We'll soon have three more performers for our little 'act'. Haunter, keep possessing this woman, but lessen your control over her until they reach my lab. I'll make sure they can follow my trail to make it easier on you. Make it seem like she was just knocked out for a while so she doesn't get more suspicious."

Haunter smiled and said, "Right." He then made Lorelei's body fall in the exact spot where he possessed her.

Lorelei woke up and grabbed her head. "Ow! What happened? Wait. Ryder!" She turned around and saw that Ryder and Iris were still in the same spot, seemingly just staring out to the ocean and sunbathing. "I've got to tell Cynthia and Sabrina that Ryder is involved," Lorelei thought. She ran to the cabin where she, Cynthia and Sabrina were staying in for the voyage, unaware of her involvement in Ryder's newest scheme.

After the liner docked in Vermillion City, Ryder, Emmy and the other accomplice disembarked the liner and walked out of town. Cynthia, Sabrina and Lorelei followed close behind, with Haunter lurking in Lorelei's shadow, waiting for the right time to strike.

Ryder and his two friends stopped in front of the back of an electronics store in a small town between Vermillion City and Saffron City. Cynthia and Sabrina crouched down in the bushes.

"So, this jerk was in my back yard all along?" Sabrina said. "I'll make sure he pays for brainwashing innocent people."

Cynthia said, "Right, we'll try to take them by surprise and learn all his secrets. Then we'll be able to free those poor girls from that monster. First, we need to find a way inside."

"I can handle that," Lorelei said, having caught up to them.

"How?" Cynthia asked.

In response, Lorelei's eyes glowed a sinister reddish-purple that caught Cynthia and Sabrina by surprise. Cynthia fell asleep quickly, but Sabrina struggled for a few seconds more. "Why…are you…helping that man…Haunter?"

Haunter made Lorelei's body put on a wicked grin. "Because I like seeing chumps like you suffer. I really must commend you for detecting me inside this woman's body, but I'm afraid you realized too late for it to matter." After Sabrina heard this, she collapsed, trapped in a deep slumber with Cynthia.

Ryder, Emmy and the other person walked to where Haunter stood and said, "I'm genuinely surprised that you were able to take them out."

"Well, Hypnosis is the only move I can use while possessing someone, but it's enough for me to do my job, Master Ryder," Haunter proudly told Ryder.

"Was there any trouble?"

"No, but the black-haired girl noticed I was possessing this woman. She might be trouble."

"So she's a psychic. It doesn't matter. She'll end up just like the rest. Haunter, Emmy, take them inside. I need to show my associate what I am doing here."

(Thirty minutes later)

"You've got a lot of guts to come looking for me after all these years, Ryder. I hope this has something to do with your research," the mysterious man said after he removed his coat and hat.

Ryder, who had changed into a lab coat, said, "Yes, Boss Giovanni. I guarantee you won't be disappointed after I tell you I managed to complete the machine I told you about a few years ago."

"You mean the one that could make humans learn Pokémon moves?"

"Exactly." Ryder was talking to Giovanni in a glass booth above a lab with two tables on it. As they were speaking, Emmy and Chance were hooking Sabrina, who was now dressed in a performance suit modeled after Alakazam, to a machine on one table while an Alakazam put the wires on the other half of the machine onto itself.

"Explain to me how this works, Ryder."

"Certainly, Boss." Ryder picked up an intercom to talk to the people in the lab. "Emmy, Chance, is Sabrina hooked up?"

Chance stuck her thumb up and said, "Everything's ready on this end, Master Ryder."

"And how about you, Ally?"

The Alakazam looked up to Ryder after it had connected itself and nodded. Before Ally lay down, though, she stuck a small bud in her ear.

"What did that Alakazam put in her ear, Ryder?" Giovanni asked.

"That is a power dampener. It's made so that no Pokémon can use their moves and abilities."

"Not that I'm saying it's not a good invention, but why would you create that?"

"You'll see."

Emmy and Chance walked over to a control panel, assumingly to stay clear of the tables. Emmy picked up an intercom and said, "Everything's set down here, Master Ryder."

"Very well," Ryder responded. He then turned to Giovanni and said, "Now, here's the fun part." He pressed a button on the control panel in front of him and the machine whirred while Ally and Sabrina glowed a faint rainbow-colored light.

"Boss Giovanni, I was not able to make humans directly capable of learning Pokémon moves, but I did manage to find a way to achieve a similar result. What my machine is doing now is transferring the minds of Ally and Sabrina into each other's bodies. The machine is also able to make any Pokémon become capable of using their current moves and any moves it can learn while residing in a human body, effectively making them Human Pokémon."

"So basically what you're saying is you can make it so that the human body can learn Pokémon moves, but a Pokémon's mind must be inhabiting the body?"

"Yes, I am. It's not the outcome you asked for, but—"

"I think this will work perfectly. I have plenty of loyal Pokémon and grunts at my disposal, so I can easily take back my seat of power over Team Rocket from those soft-hearted fools who now run it."

The machine stopped working and the light receded. Before Emmy and Chance could move, the wires connecting Sabrina's body to the machine came off on their own and Sabrina's eyes shot open. She looked at herself and smiled. She then glided over to the control panel, levitated the intercom to her and spoke to Ryder.

"Transfer successful, Master Ryder."

Ryder grinned and responded, "Excellent, Ally. Take Sabrina down to the cells with the others."

Giovanni turned to Ryder and asked, "Cells?"

Ryder said, "Boss, the women whom I've used so far in this experiment were hostile towards my ambitions. I've had to subdue them before I could make the swaps. The power dampeners are so that they don't cause a revolt while in the Pokémon's bodies."

"I see," Giovanni said. "Now that I know how they're created, show me some 'Human Pokémon' in action."

Ryder pressed a few buttons and a screen lowered and turned on. The image on the screen was of two women standing in an arena, looking like they were about to fight each other.

"Boss Giovanni, behold my Garchomp, Garnet, and my Dewgong, Denise."

The women's images cleared up to reveal the bodies of Cynthia and Lorelei, but they had already been changed. Cynthia's body, now run by Garnet, was dressed in an outfit that resembled Garchomp, while Lorelei's body, run by Denise, wore an outfit that resembled a Dewgong.

Garnet spoke first. "I've waited a long time for this! Are you ready to taste defeat?"

Denise yawned and said, "Look, I've got a nap to get back to, so can we make this quick?"

Garnet got angry and charged at Denise, her body giving off a light-blue aura. Denise jumped out of the way and said, "Really? Dragon Rush? Don't you think you can be a little more creative, Garnet?" She then lowered her glasses and her eyes gave off a rainbow-colored beam that squarely hit Garnet in the back, causing her to double back. Not wasting any time, Denise then inhaled and exhaled a Blizzard out of her mouth, freezing Garnet in place.

Denise gracefully landed on her feet and dully said, "Well, looks like I win again."

Garnet thawed out and yelled, "Well, you never would've caught me in that Blizzard if I hadn't been distracted by that Aurora Beam!"

Denise yawned again. "Quit being such a sore loser. I'm going back to sleep."

As Denise left the arena, Ryder raised the screen and said, "So, what do you think?"

Giovanni grinned widely and said, "This is amazing. Ryder, I must really congratulate you on a job well done. I would still like more of those Human Pokémon before I begin my plan to take back Team Rocket."

Ryder smiled. "Consider it done, Boss. I'll get you only the best army of Human Pokémon you could ask for."

(In the cells, at night)

"Mommy, are those thwee newcomers doing ok? They seem sad."

Patty was walking back from the storage unit with Beauty carrying sacks of food for them and the other Human Pokémon to eat. On the way back, they passed the cells that contained Cynthia, Lorelei and Sabrina, now trapped in the bodies of Garchomp, Dewgong and Alakazam respectively.

Beauty told Patty, "No, dear, I think they're still getting over the shock of what happened. Maybe in a few days, their attitude will lighten up."

Patty said, "I hope so, Mommy. I don't like seeing them sad."

When the two left, Cynthia looked at Lorelei and Sabrina and said, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

Lorelei said, "Hey, don't worry about it. We're your friends, so we're in this together. Don't try to put all the blame on yourself."

Sabrina said, "Besides, there's still a chance of escape."

Cynthia looked to where Misty, Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, May, Dawn and Iris were locked up. She noticed that Iris kept looking for a way to escape, despite not knowing a thing about the layout of the lab they were kept in and the limitations of her new Pokémon body.

Confident that this wasn't the end, Cynthia turned to Lorelei and Sabrina and said, "You're right. There's no reason for us to give up just yet."


	3. Human Pokémon Chapter 3

_**A/N: I don't own Pokemon or any of its characters.**_

Professor Oak paced around his lab, worrying about the recent string of events. Since Misty, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy were kidnapped six months ago, several other people had disappeared, including several Gym leaders and the Sinnoh Pokémon League Champion, Cynthia. His neighbor, Delia Ketchum, also fell victim to this mass kidnapping just last night, along with her Mr. Mime helper.

While still trying to figure out the cause of this string of kidnappings, his assistant, Tracey Sketchit, suddenly ran to the professor and said, "Professor Oak! Ash's Bayleef has gone missing!"

"What? How did that happen?"

"I think she wandered out of the lab's limits in the middle of the night. Maybe she followed Ms. Ketchum when she was kidnapped."

Professor Oak looked to the ground. "This is all too troubling. I wish I knew how to handle this."

"Handle what?"

Professor Oak and Tracey looked to see Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, back from a yearlong training trip to the Sevii Islands.

Tracey asked Ash, "You haven't heard the latest news?"

Ash said, "No. I just got back. How could I-"

"SOMEONE HELP ME!"

The three men and Pikachu turned to see a woman with a blonde ponytail burst through the door of the lab. She was dressed in a one-piece pale yellow suit with gloves and high heels and wore a yellow cap on her head. She had a necklace of leaves on her neck and her hat sported a large leaf. If Ash didn't know better, he'd say that she resembled a Bayleef.

The woman was crying her eyes out and seemed really scared. After she came in, she ran up to the group and, while still crying, said, "Please, you've got to help me, Professor Oak! They're coming this way and…" She then looked at Ash and Pikachu and smiled through her tears. She hugged Ash tightly and cried, "Ash! Pikachu! I'm so happy you've come back. You've got to help me, please!"

Ash stood puzzled and was about to ask how she knew him, but then the door burst open again and four figures surrounded the group. The figures were dressed as strangely as the Bayleef girl, but Ash recognized them right away.

One was Jessie, a member of Team Rocket who tried to steal Pikachu from him on countless occasions. She now sported a costume modeled after Seviper, complete with a mask over her mouth that gave her Seviper teeth and a tail that seemed to move on its own.

The second person was Cassidy, who was one of the more successful members of Team Rocket. She wore a costume based on Zangoose. Her gloves were equipped with claws similar to that of Zangoose.

The last two people Ash recognized were two people whom he never thought would be helping Team Rocket. They were Anabel and Greta, two of the Battle Frontier Brains. Anabel wore an outfit to make her look like Espeon, while Greta dressed up like Umbreon.

A fifth girl calmly walked into the lab and bowed to the group. This girl wasn't so easily recognizable to Ash, as she wore a hat with a red flower and a crown on it that obscured most of her head from view. He did manage to see the bottom of a calm, serene face, but no defining features. She also wore a costume much like the others, but her costume had flower petals formed into a dress that flowed down from her waist, but still revealed her legs.

"Hello, Professor Oak," the girl said. "My name is Lily. I'm here to bring back that woman behind you. You see, we were about to rehearse for a show when she got scared by a group of Rattata and ran away."

Ash looked at Lily cautiously, then turned to the girl in the Bayleef outfit. Seeing the look of terror in this girl's eyes as she stared at Lily, Ash made his decision rather quickly.

"I can't do that. I don't buy your story, seeing this girl scared to death of you."

The girl looked at Ash and, smiling, said, "Thank you, Ash. I knew you wouldn't believe them."

Lily frowned. "I had hoped we could avoid this, but it looks like we have no other choice. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we'll have to detain you all."

Jessie looked at Lily and said, "Doesss that mean we can attack them now, Lily? I've been itching to give my new ssskillsss a tessst run." Ash noticed that Jessie was slurring her S's, like a snake.

Cassidy turned to Jessie and said, "Didn't you pay attention to the briefing, Seraphina? Master Ryder told us to not attack unless it was absolutely necessary."

Jessie looked at Cassidy and retorted, "Well, I don't remember asssking you for a reminder, Zelda."

Ash was now confused. "Wait, are "Seraphina" and "Zelda" new code names or something?"

Lily said, "My apologies. They never properly introduced themselves. The girl in the Seviper suit is Seraphina, the Zangoose girl is Zelda, the Espeon girl is Eileen, and the Umbreon girl is Urd."

Ash now stood looking at the faces of the girls. He was so sure that they were Jessie, Cassidy, Anabel and Greta, but the names were all wrong.

Suddenly, a Psychic lifted it, Ash and everyone else in the air. Eileen looked to the door and said, "Why couldn't we do that earlier, Myranda?"

The woman now identified as Myranda stepped out of the shadows, revealing her existence to the group. They all stared in horror at the sight.

Myranda looked exactly like Ash's mother, Delia. She wore an outfit similar to the ones the other girls were wearing, but hers had a Mr. Mime theme. Her gloved hands glowed with a blue light, revealing her to be the source of the Psychic attack. The scariest part about her appearance for Ash, though, was that her face was cold as ice, showing no emotion.

Myranda looked to Eileen and said in an eerie monotone, "I did not perform Psychic earlier because I was not given orders to detain them at that time."

Ash tried calling out, "Mom! Snap out of it! You're being controlled!"

Myranda simply turned to Ash and said, "I do not know what you are talking about. I am Myranda, loyal servant to Master Ryder and his second-in-command, Mistress Lily."

Lily said, "That's enough, Myranda. Just bring our new friends closer. My Stun Spore will be more effective that way."

"I don't think so, you witch!"

Before Lily could turn around, a Thunder Wave hit her from behind and she fell. Before Myranda could retaliate, an Emolga wearing a strange collar jumped onto her shoulder and sent a Thunder Wave into her ear. A few seconds later, a small bud fell out of Myranda's ear and fell to the ground. Myranda then fell, unconscious from the Thunder Wave, freeing her captives in the process.

The Emolga then turned to Ash and said, "Ash, I promise to explain everything later, but right now we need to take care of these girls."

Ash just stood there trying to understand what was going on. First, he met a girl dressed like a Bayleef who acted like she knew him personally, then a whole bunch of girls who looked like people he knew attacked him, and now a talking Emolga was helping him fight off these girls.

Deciding to deal with the present situation first, Ash told Pikachu, "Okay, Pikachu, you ready to put our training to use?"

"Pika-Pika!" was Pikachu's response.

The Bayleef girl walked in front of them and said, "Wait, Ash. Let me take care of this." She then twirled the leaf on her head around, causing more leaves to attack the other girls. Ash was amazed how much it looked like his own Bayleef's Razor Leaf attack

Ash noticed that Seraphina, Zelda, Eileen and Urd were now backing away from him and the others and heading to check on Lily. Urd knelt to her knees and patted Lily on the back. "Lily, are you okay?"

Lily went to stand up, causing her hat to fall off her head. Ash looked at Lily's face and thought she looked like Erika, the Celadon City Gym leader. Lily gave a cold stare to Ash, then told the rest, "We'll cause too much collateral damage if we fight all out here. We have no choice but to retreat for now. Seraphina, use Haze."

Seraphina inhaled a deep breath, then exhaled a thick smokescreen that caused Ash, Professor Oak, the Bayleef girl and everyone else to cough. When the Haze cleared, Lily and the other girls were nowhere to be found, leaving Myranda behind.

Ash thought about the attack for a while, then turned to the Bayleef girl. "Listen, lady. You're going to tell me what that was all about. Then I want to hear about how you know me!"

The Bayleef girl started to cry a little and said, "Ash, I'm scared! Why don't you remember me yet?"

Tracey said, "Look, ma'am, I don't know what's going on here, either, but it's okay to tell us what you know. Please, we want to help you, but we need to know everything."

The girl said, "I don't know anything, Tracey. I wish I could tell you something, but I just woke up like this an hour ago. I was so scared that I ran back here for safety."

Professor Oak said, "So you 'ran back here'? When were you here last?"

The girl said, "Last night. I wandered out of the lab limits to go exploring, but Lily and her goons abducted me. Next thing I knew, I woke up like this and ran away screaming, but not before I saw what they did to Ash's mom and Mimey."

Ash said, "My mom? What happened to her? Is she alright?"

Everyone heard the Emolga say, "No, she's not, and neither is this woman."

Ash looked at the Emolga, who was helping Myranda recover from her Thunder Wave. Myranda looked at Ash and the others and asked, "Ash? When did you get back? Wait, how can I speak Human? And why do I look like Lady Delia? What's going on here?"

Ash walked up and said, "Who are you?"

Myranda looked to Ash and said, "I'm Mimey! Don't you remember me?"

Pikachu exclaimed, "Pika-Pikachu?"

Mimey looked at Pikachu and said, "Yes, I'm telling you the truth, Pikachu."

Ash stepped back and said, "There's no way you're Mimey. Mimey's a Mr. Mime, a Pokémon!"

The girl said, "I know it's hard to believe, but that is Mimey, Ash. That bud that fell out of Mimey's ear was a mind-control device that forced Mimey to obey those monsters that did this to us."

Ash said, "Then who are you?"

"Ash, I'm your Bayleef!"

Ash and Tracey were left speechless, but Professor Oak said, "Would you mind if I test that?" He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a green PokéBlock. When the girl saw it, she drooled and said, "A treat! Thank you, Professor Oak!" She then used Vine Whip to grab the PokéBlock out of Professor Oak's hand and ate it gleefully. "Mmm, it tastes so good."

Tracey said, "Th…That's exactly how your Bayleef acts when Professor Oak gives her a PokéBlock, Ash. I think this really is Bayleef."

Ash said, stunned, "Then that means that really is Mom's body, but the one in it is really Mimey? But that doesn't explain the Emolga."

The Emolga glided up to Ash's shoulder and said, "I'm Iris. I can explain everything to you, but it's going to be a long story."

Ash, Pikachu, Professor Oak, Tracey, Mimey and Bayleef looked at Iris and listened to her explain the situation.

* * *

><p><em>QUICK NOTES TO AVOID CONFUSION<em>

_Yes, all the Human Pokemon introduced thus far have been female._

_The woman swapped with Bayleef is **not** a canon character. She's actually a loyal Team Rocket member, but she's now stuck in Bayleef's body._

_In regards to the names, I tried to choose names that started with the same letter as the Pokemon species._


	4. Human Pokémon Chapter 4

_**A/N: I don't own Pokémon or any of its characters**_

(An hour earlier; in Ryder's lab)

Iris paced around her cell several times, thinking of how she could escape. She looked over to her friends, Misty, May, Dawn, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, who had lost hope of escape and slumped in their cells. It just made her more determined to escape, so she could rescue them and lift their spirits.

She was thankful that at least she wasn't the only one trying to escape. Cynthia, the Sinnoh Pokémon League Champion, along with Sabrina and Lorelei were trying several different ways to escape, but seemed to succumb to the power dampeners in their ears before they made any progress.

Other people trapped in the cells tried to escape as well, but they all couldn't do anything. Iris at first thought it would be cool to be in a Pokémon's body, but without the ability to use any of the Pokémon's moves, it wasn't the same. She began to wish for her own body back.

This day, however, a weird girl that no one had seen before ran into the room where the cells were, but was already a Human Pokémon judging from the Bayleef outfit she wore. What was different, Iris noticed, was that unlike the other Human Pokémon, this girl was scared. She seemed to be looking for answers.

"What is this place? How do I get out?" she whispered to herself.

Iris, without a second thought, jumped to the side of her cell and said, ("Hey, you there! Can you help me?")

The girl looked at Iris and nervously said, "Who are you? If you want to get out just to fight me, I…I should warn you I've ha…handled tougher Pokémon before!"

("I don't want to fight you, and I'm not really a Pokémon. I'm a human who was forced to switch bodies with a Pokémon. They've done the same to you, haven't they?")

The girl got confused and said, "How is that possible? You must be jok…" The girl then looked at her reflection on the side of the glass cell that held Misty. She looked in horror as the reflection mirrored her every move.

"What have they done to me?" she nearly screamed.

("Shh! Keep your voice down and listen. I could really use your help. I need you to open the door to my cell. You should be able to reach out and pull the handle.")

The Bayleef girl cautiously reached out and pulled on the handle with her human hand. Iris leaped out of the cage and tried to glide around, but quickly found herself falling to the floor. Luckily, the girl's Vine Whip caught Iris before she got hurt.

("Thanks. Now, could you use your fingers to get a bud out of my left ear? That's what's keeping me from gliding around and using Emolga's moves.")

The Bayleef girl did as Iris asked. As soon as the bud was out, Iris glided around, let out a Thundershock and started to giggle. She then glided to a shelf and grabbed a collar that allowed her to speak Human. "Finally! Thank you so much, umm…"

The Bayleef girl shyly smiled and said, "You can just call me Bayleef. My trainer never gave me a nickname."

"By the way, what are you doing here, Bayleef?"

"I was feeling adventurous and left Professor Oak's lab to see what Pallet Town looked like. While I was walking around, I saw a bunch of girls carrying a woman all tied up. I wanted to do something, since it seemed like they were kidnapping her. One of the girls, however, somehow launched a Sleep Powder my way and put me to sleep. I woke up here just a few minutes ago, and apparently I looked like this."

Bayleef started to get scared. "What do I do? What can I do? I wish Ash were here to help me."

Misty swam up to the edge of her tank and said, ("Wait, is your trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town?")

Bayleef looked at the Goldeen and cautiously said, "Yes. Do you know him?"

("I'm Misty! We used to travel around Johto together.")

"What? You're here, too? Is everyone here-"

("That doesn't matter,") Misty said. ("Just get out of here and let Ash and Professor Oak know what's going on.")

"No! I can't leave you like this!"

"Hey! Who's in there?"

Bayleef and Iris turned to the doorway and saw two shadows beneath the cracks. Iris turned to Bayleef and said, "There's no time to argue about it. There's a large window in the back of the room you can escape from. Go to Professor Oak's lab before someone finds you. I'll stall for time and find my own way there. Go now!"

(One Hour Later; at Professor Oak's Lab)

"After I took care of those two goons, I found an air duct and made my way here." Iris finished her explanation to the bewildered group before her.

Ash grabbed his head like he was about to pull out his hair. "This is too confusing! It's still too unbelievable to believe!"

Iris put her hands on her hips and said, "So you won't believe any story like this, even if the proof of its truth is standing right in front of you? I swear, you are still just a kid sometimes!"

"Well, there's no mistaking that's Iris," Ash said to himself. He turned to Bayleef and asked, "So, did you get into any other trouble, Bayleef?"

Bayleef, still crying about the whole experience, said, "I tried not to. I got out the window just fine, but before I left I found another window. I looked inside to see your mom and Mimey strapped to a table and hooked up to a weird machine. There was a strange light, then that Lily girl stuck a small thing in Ash's mom's ear. After that, she started calling herself Myranda and pledged allegiance to some guy named Ryder. Next thing I knew, a Haunter popped in front of me and tried to attack me. I swatted it away with Vine Whip and ran here, but I think the Haunter let everyone know where I was going. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything else to help, Ash."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Bayleef. You tried to help; that's all that matters," Ash said, trying to comfort her.

Bayleef, being so overwhelmed with her own emotions, jumped onto Ash and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for being so nice to me, Ash, even after all of my foul-ups!"

Professor Oak scratched his head. "Ryder. Why does that name sound so familiar?"

Mimey stood uneasily on her new legs and said, "Well, why don't we go back and help save Lady Delia and the others?"

Professor Oak stopped Mimey, saying, "Wait a minute. We don't know anything about Ryder and his Human Pokémon. Besides that, we're only four people and at least eleven Pokémon against an army. We'd be severely outmatched, easily captured, and probably meet the same fate as the others."

Iris said, "Well, I know what kinds of Human Pokémon Ryder's got so far, but I think he'll get more. Get me some paper and I'll write out everything for you."

(At Ryder's lab)

"YOU IDIOT!"

Ryder yelled at a Team Rocket goon while slapping him across the face. The goon rubbed his cheek and said, "I'm sorry, Ryder, I…"

"Don't give me excuses! Just get those Human Pokémon and our escape artist back here right now! The plan has gone too far for any more setbacks!"

"Right away, Ryder!" The goon saluted, then fell to the floor as Haunter left his body and went off to get the fugitives that ruined Ryder's plans.

(In the cells)

Delia Ketchum (trapped in Mimey's body) looked at Beauty and Patty, her guards since she was put in the cells an hour ago. They seemed too innocent to be in league with whoever was orchestrating this "Human Pokémon" plan. Beauty was just like Delia, a strong, motherly figure who cared for others, while Patty was just a child, unaware of how wrong this situation was.

Beauty looked at Delia and said, "Is something troubling you?"

("I'm just wondering why you and your friend are helping in this mad scheme. You two seem too good for something like this.")

Patty walked up to Beauty and asked, "What's she talking about, Mommy?"

Beauty rubbed Patty's head and said, "Patty, dear, why don't you check on the others here. I need to talk to this one alone."

Patty smiled and said, "Okay, Mommy. Maybe they'll let me play with them this time."

As Patty ran off, Beauty said, "I can't believe how much she's grown in just a few short months."

Delia said, ("It's the most precious gift in the world to be a mother, but what are you promising for Patty's future?")

"What are you talking about?"

("This whole 'Human Pokémon' thing. It doesn't seem like a future a mother would want for her child.")

Beauty looked to the ground and said, "I'm not technically her mother, but I do care about Patty greatly and want nothing but the best for her."

("Then why steal the bodies of two innocent girls?")

"I…I was told that it was only temporary. Master Ryder told me that the girls voluntarily agreed to give us their bodies so that we might feel what it was like to be humans for a few months. Now, I'm beginning to doubt his motives."

("Trust me. Anything that destroys lives like this is not for a noble cause. There's something else going on here, and you're being kept in the dark about it.")

Beauty wandered away from Delia's cell and went to see Patty, happily talking to the other girls.

"Master Ryder," she thought. "What's going on? You said that after a few months you'd change us back. Was that a lie? What's the truth, then?"

"Mommy!"

Beauty was broken out of her train of thought by Patty, who pointed to the door and said, "I heard angry voices out there. Is everything okay?"

"I'll check, dear. Just stay back and be quiet."

Beauty crouched down and peered out a small opening in the doorway.

Lily was standing in the hallway with Lynne, Goldy and a Bayleef, and all four of them weren't wearing happy faces.

"Bay, Bayleef, Bay, Bay?" The Bayleef screamed. While humans were incapable of understanding a Pokémon's speech patterns, Beauty, being a naturally born Pokémon, could understand what Bayleef was saying. ("How could you not get my body back?")

Lily stared at Bayleef and said, "Unforeseen complications got in the way. At least we know its location. We'll send in a team to recapture the Bayleef and Myranda and proceed with reeducating both of them."

Lynne stepped forward and said, "Lady Lily, what're we gonna do 'bout that Iris chil'? I reckon she's gonna spill the beans 'bout what we're doin' here."

Lily calmly said, "We're Team Rocket, Lynne. We don't worry about small matters like that. As soon as we have everyone in custody, that little pest will be dealt with, permanently."

Goldy put on a ditzy smile and said, "I knew you'd come up with the perfect solution, Mistress Lily!"

The Bayleef angrily said, ("Well, aren't you going to do it now?")

Lily said, "Of course. This time, I'll send a team that won't fail. Team Rocket will belong to Boss Giovanni again. I won't allow one dissident Pokémon to get in the way of our global conquest."

As the four walked away, Beauty held her mouth in horror. She had been conned by Team Rocket into taking part in one of their plots to take over the world. Most likely, she and Patty were used to incapacitate potential threats to this plan.

Not wasting any time, Beauty told Patty, "Honey, we're getting out of here."

"Mommy, is everything okay?" Patty asked, worried.

Beauty hugged Patty tightly and said, "There's no time to explain right now, dear. Open the cells and tell the girls to follow me, but don't make a lot of noise."

"Okay, Mommy." Still scared of what was going on, Patty did as Beauty told her. Soon, all the girls turned Pokémon were waiting outside a big window, power dampeners scattered and smashed across the floor of the room. Beauty cautiously opened the window so as not to set off any alarms.

After the window was open, Beauty said, "Okay. Get out and go to Professor Oak's lab. It should be a few miles west of here. I need to grab something, then I'll join you."

Patty grabbed Beauty's arm and tearfully said, "No, Mommy! Don't leave me alone!"

Delia grabbed Patty's hand and said, ("You're not going to be alone. The rest of us will watch over you in her place.")

"It's not the same as Mommy, though," Patty whined.

Beauty gave Patty a kiss on her forehead and said, "I promise I'll join you soon, Patty. These people will protect you, so don't worry." With that, Beauty went into the lab to get what she wanted, while Patty, trying to hold in her tears, left with Delia and the others.

(In the lab)

Beauty tried to move as stealthily as possible. She successfully avoided the guards on her way to the storage room.

She snuck into the storage room and went to the back shelf. This was where Ryder kept the collars that made Pokémon capable of speaking the human language. This would help the victims tell their story to the world.

She grabbed a fairly large box of the collars and was turning around to leave, when she came face-to-face with Lucy (Maylene swapped with a Lucario) and Rose (Gardenia swapped with Roserade), two of Ryder's most efficient sentries.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Lucy asked sternly.

Beauty stammered a little. "I…I just wanted to see how great of targets these would…"

"Can it!" Rose abruptly said. "You were going to give those to the humans, weren't you? That's mutiny and sabotage! Well, we're not going to let that happen."

Rose then fired a Poison Sting and Razor Leaf barrage at Beauty, who dodged the attack as gracefully as a Beautifly could. She then thought that if they can use their moves, why couldn't she? She faced Rose and fired a Signal Beam from her finger, causing Rose to become confused. With Rose confused, Beauty unleashed a Bug Buzz attack to leave her sprawled on the floor

Lucy suddenly appeared behind Beauty and said, "Nice job with Rose, but now you're at a disadvantage. Your Bug-Type moves won't work on me!" She then tried to hit Beauty with a Force Palm, but Beauty threw up Protect at the last minute.

"I'm not limited to Bug-Type moves, you know," Beauty told Lucy. When her Protect faded away, she then fired a Psychic attack at Lucy, causing her to be knocked back. Before she could hit the wall, however, Beauty hit Lucy in the back with an Aerial Ace and left her slumped on the floor.

With the two guards incapacitated, Beauty left with the collars to the cells. She made her way out the window and started running into the woods.


	5. Human Pokémon Chapter 5

_**A/N: I don't own Pokemon or any of its characters. Ryder is an original character.**_

"This is just horrible!"

Professor Oak looked over the list Iris had just produced, listing every Human Pokémon Ryder had in his possession.

Bayleef got a disgusted look on her face. "They're all women? This guy's a sicko!"

"That's not the important thing, Bayleef," Professor Oak said. "Every person on this list is an important trainer. Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, Frontier Brains, and a League Champion, among others. It may be sick, but this guy's incapacitated several of the world's best trainers. It'll be hard to take him out without their help."

Ash slammed his fists together. "I can't stand around hoping for a miracle to happen! We need to attack Ryder while we can."

"Ash, please," Mimey put her hands on Ash's shoulders while speaking in Delia's calm, motherly tone. "We mustn't rush in blindly. I want to take him out, too, but we need a strategy to beat him."

Ash hung his head low. "This is killing me."

"Pika! Pikachu!"

Everyone looked at Pikachu, who was pointing out the window. Iris glided up to see what got Pikachu excited. When she saw, she got a wide smile on her face and said, "It's them!"

The doors to Professor Oak's lab opened to let in Patty and all the girls who had fallen victim to Ryder's scheme (except those girls who were loyal to Team Rocket). They were relieved that there wasn't a trap waiting for them, and they reveled in their freedom from Ryder's cells.

Ash looked on in awe at the different Pokémon that filled Professor Oak's lab lobby. He couldn't believe that they were all people he had met in the past.

A Goldeen, Pachirisu and Beautifly immediately came up to Ash and tackled him to the ground. From the list Iris made, he knew these were his friends Misty, Dawn and May. Dawn hugged Ash's arm tightly while Misty flopped around on his chest and May danced over his head.

"Pachi, Pachirisu!"

"Gol, Gol, Goldeen!"

"Beautifly!"

"Wait! I can't understand you!"

Dawn, Goldeen and Beautifly looked to each other and realized they weren't wearing the collars that let them speak Human. They were saddened but continued to stay by Ash's side.

Ash noticed Dawn's body across the room staring out the window, waiting. Feeling she needed someone to talk to, he made his way across the room to check up on her.

He reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. "Excuse me, I—"

Almost immediately as he started talking, he felt a powerful electric shock course through his body. As he collapsed, he noticed Dawn's body staring in shock at the sight.

"Oh, my gosh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to Discharge. I just don't like being snuck up on," he heard this girl say, sounding exactly like Dawn.

"It's no problem, um…"

"Patty. My name is Patty."

"Okay, Patty. I was just wondering what you were doing here."

Patty stared back out the window. "It's Mommy. She said she had some things to do back at the lab, so she didn't come with us. I know she said she'd catch up to us, but I'm worried. I hope she's doing okay." Patty started to cry.

Ash cautiously put her hand on Patty's shoulder. "Your mom will be okay, Patty. I'm sure."

Patty threw her arms around Ash and wept. "Thanks for being here for me, mister."

"It's Ash."

Patty perked up and said, "Ash? The same Ash that's friends with most everyone here?"

Ash nervously said, "Yeah, that'd be me, I guess."

Patty squealed and excitedly said, "I knew it! You just gave off a friendly vibe the minute I saw you! I'm so honored to meet you at last!"

Ash, blushing at the compliment and completely surprised at Patty's sudden change in attitude, said, "Um…thanks, I…"

"You have to tell me all about your adventures! I've heard everyone else's version, now I want to hear yours!" Patty kept getting closer and closer to Ash as she talked, not realizing how close her body was to Ash's. The scene was making Ash extremely uncomfortable, as he looked for a way out.

"Pa! Pachi, Pachi!"

Ash and Patty looked to see Dawn with a stern look on her face.

Taking advantage of Dawn's arrival, Ash excused himself saying, "I think our talk'll have to wait until later, Patty. I've got things to do."

Patty smiled. "Okay. I can wait."

Ash left to see Professor Oak, Tracey, Iris, Bayleef and Mimey to see what the plan was now that the girls had been rescued. After he was gone, Dawn turned to Patty and said, "Pachi, Pachirisu?" ("What did you think you were doing?")

Patty looked at Dawn with a clueless expression on her face and said, "I was meeting Ash for the first time."

("And the hugging?")

"I was worried about Mommy and he comforted me. I was so happy I didn't think."

("What about you almost throwing yourself at him?")

"I didn't throw myself at him. He'd be really hurt if I did that."

("I meant you getting physically close.")

"Oh! He was about to tell me about his adventures before you showed up. I was just so excited!"

Dawn sighed a sigh of relief. ("Okay. Just don't try to do anything embarrassing while in my body, Patty.")

Patty saluted and happily said, "Yes, ma'am! You can count on me!"

Dawn sighed, this time with uncertainty, and joined the others to hear the master plan.

(At Ryder's hideout)

Lily calmly walked to Ryder's office, with Bayleef following her.

"Bay, Bay, Bayleef?" ("Where are we going now?")

Lily coldly stared at the Bayleef and said, "We're going to see Master Ryder, Belle. I shall trust you to not make a fuss while we are in his presence."

("Well, all right. I just want to make sure that my body is—")

"Your body will be recaptured in due time. Just be patient."

Lily walked into the large double doors leading to Ryder's office. As she walked in, Belle saw Jessie and Cassidy (now in the bodies of Seviper and Zangoose) arguing with Ryder.

"Why do I have to be on the same team as her?" Jessie complained. "It just isn't fair!"

Cassidy chimed in, "That's right! Jessie'd only slow us down! Our team needs only the best, not the best plus a third wheel."

"What'd you say, you little—"

"THAT'S ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!"

Jessie and Cassidy stopped arguing after hearing Ryder yell. He was seething in anger at recent events.

"All the girls being kept in the cells have escaped. Patty and Beauty have disappeared along with them, leading me to assume they let the girls go and have turned traitor themselves. A box of collars that allow Pokémon to speak the Human language has been stolen. Now, in spite of all this happening, you think it's necessary to complain about your teammates?"

Jessie stammered, "N…Not anymore, sir. In fact, I was going to happily go back with Cassidy and get to know my new comrades."

Cassidy replied, "Yeah, and I was going to show Jessie the ropes. Come on, friend. We have a lot to do now."

Jessie and Cassidy quickly left the office, leaving Lily and Belle alone with Ryder.

Ryder looked at the two and said, "Please tell me you have good news."

Lily bowed and said, "Yes. We have located the missing girls. They are convened at Professor Oak's laboratory in Pallet Town."

Ryder sighed. "Well, that's one problem taken care of. We'll need to get them back here somehow."

"I've already made a list of who I'd like to take with me to capture them this time." She pulled out a list from her hat and continued. "I wish to take Ally, Eileen and Emmy with me. You see, I don't want to engage them directly, like before. Instead, I'll spread my Sleep Powder through the air ducts of the lab. Then, for good measure, Emmy and Ally will paralyze everyone with their Thunder Wave. Immediately after they are incapacitated, I'll have Ally and Eileen use Teleport to put everyone in their cells again."

Ryder stroked his chin and said, "That sounds like a very clever plan, but I have a different solution."

Lily raised an eyebrow and said, "What is this plan of yours, Master Ryder?"

"Well, I have already sent Haunter to retrieve Belle's body and Myranda, as well as that pesky girl that's now in Emmy's body. I think a more ingenious plan is in order. Listen carefully, now."

(In the woods outside of Pallet Town)

Beauty ruffled through the trees and bushes of the forest, confused and lost.

"Well, my wings couldn't get me very far. This human body of mine can probably only glide comfortably. I guess I'll have to continue on foot and use my wings only for battle from now on," she complained to herself.

She carried around the box that held the collars she risked her life to get. "I have to get to Professor Oak's lab soon. I don't want Patty to worry about me too much."

After a few minutes, she finally found a break in the foliage. Relieved at the sight, Beauty ran toward the light and saw Pallet Town below the hill she now stood on top of.

Before she could run down and go to the lab, however, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. Ducking back into the forest, she looked over to see Haunter scanning the area.

"Haun, Ter, Haunter, Haun." ("How will I proceed?")

Beauty carefully observed Haunter's actions, not wanting to be caught. "This isn't going to be easy," Beauty thought. "I have to evade Haunter without giving away my position. Double Team might work, but it's too big a gamble."

Before she could ponder her next move further, Beauty saw Lily and Belle approaching Haunter.

"Good, we've reached you in time."

("In time for what?"), the Haunter replied.

"We have a new mission for you."

("I have a mission already, so if you'd—")

("This is adding onto your current mission, Haunter."), Belle interjected.

("Who's the new face? She obviously didn't get the memo that I work for only one man. Scram if you know what's good for you.")

("Well, we were sent by that one man, so you might want to treat me with a little—")

("I can easily bend you to my will, so you're in no position to argue with me, scrawny little Bayleef.") Haunter teased.

("That's it! I've had en—")

"Both of you shut up!" Lilly yelled out. "Haunter, read this paper and you'll make sense of everything."

Haunter grabbed the paper and read it carefully.

("There's still one thing left unexplained.")

"And what would that be?"

("How exactly am I going to infiltrate the lab?")

Beauty nearly gasped, but held her breath so she wouldn't be heard. "The lab? Oh, no! Patty's in danger! I have to help her, but…"

Calmly looking at the bushes without anyone noticing, Lily told Haunter, "Simple. Find a host body and quietly use you expert Hypnosis on the entire group."

("Easier said than done. That psychic chick will spot me coming a mile away. I suppose it could be possible for me to hide in the shadows of someone else, but it's not a guarantee of success.")

Lily smirked. "Well, let's just do our best. You now know the plan. Step 1: get a host body."

Lily raised her hand and blew a sleep powder in Beauty's direction. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Beauty jumped out of her hiding place and collapsed on the ground, falling into a deep sleep.

"Step 2: Infiltrate the lab. I trust you can handle the rest, Haunter?"

Gaining a wicked grin, Haunter said, ("Don't worry, Lily. If all goes well, this little rebellion will be over quickly.")


	6. Human Pokémon Chapter 6

**A/N: I don't own _Pokemon_ or any of its characters.**

**("") = The character is speaking Pokemon**

* * *

><p>Ash, Professor Oak, Tracey, Iris, Mimey and Bayleef had just gone over the plan to set everything right again and were taking care of Ryder's victims. The girls felt relieved that they had the power inhibitors removed, but still felt incomplete without their actual bodies. Patty just stared out the window, hoping Beauty would come back to her.<p>

That evening, everyone was about to go to sleep when Patty let out an excited yelp.

"What's wrong, Patty?" Ash asked.

With tears of joy in her eyes, Patty replied, "It's Mommy! She's here!"

Almost immediately, Beauty walked into the doors of the lab, carrying the box of translator collars she stole from Ryder's lab. Exhausted, she fell to her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

Patty ran up to her and said, "Mommy! I'm so glad you're back!"

Beauty looked up to Patty and said, "I said I'd catch up to you, didn't I? I just had to get these collars for the girls so they could talk with their friends. Are you alright, Patty?"

Patty paused for a split second before saying, "Yes, I'm okay. You must be tired, though. I'll carry you to a bed."

"Thank you. You're such a thoughtful daughter, Patty."

Patty carried Beauty to a cot and laid her down gently. As Beauty drifted off to a refreshing sleep, Patty returned to the group.

Dawn, who had just placed a collar around her neck, said, "What's wrong, Patty? You don't seem as spunky as you usually are."

Patty looked at Dawn and said, "It's Mommy. She doesn't seem like herself and I'm worried."

Sabrina walked over and said, "What makes you say that?"

"Well, in the past, if she or I were away for a long time, we would hug and she'd call me "Dear" instead of by my name. I don't understand why she wouldn't do that now."

Sabrina looked at Beauty, who looked to be sleeping soundly, and told Patty and Dawn, "I'm still not used to these new Psychic powers I have, but I think I know what's wrong. Excuse me. I have to talk with Professor Oak."

Dawn asked, "What about?"

"About how to set up a trap."

As Sabrina walked away, Patty looked to Dawn and asked, "Is trap-setting a big part of the pl—"

Dawn closed Patty's mouth before she could say anything else. "Trust Sabrina on this. It's for the best."

(Six hours later)

It was the middle of the night when Beauty finally woke up from her refreshing nap. She looked around to see Professor Oak and Nurse Joy sleeping by her bedside. Cautiously, she got out of the cot and made her way to the main lobby.

She saw the room empty. Thinking everyone was asleep somewhere else, Beauty moved to a large table in the lobby where a large piece of paper was laid out. She leaned over to look at it.

"Gotcha!"

Beauty turned just as the lights of the lobby came on. Standing around her were Ash, Pikachu, Patty, Dawn, Sabrina, Lenora (now in a Watchog's body), Fantina (now in a Misdreavus's body) and Zoey (now in a Glameow's body). Beauty frowned when she saw everyone surrounding her.

Sabrina said, "I thought that you'd be drawn to those fake plans we set out for you."

Patty cried, "Mommy! Why are you doing this?"

Sabrina said, "We'll show you. Lenora, can you use Watchog's Illuminate ability?"

Lenora grinned and said, "Let's see." She started focusing her energy on the yellow stripes that covered her body. Suddenly, they started to give off a bright light. Beauty shielded her eyes from the light, while a shadowy figure appeared behind her.

"Mommy, what is that thing behind you?" Patty asked.

As Lenora's light receded, Sabrina got a determined look on her face and said, "Using that old trick again, Haunter?"

Beauty stopped shielding her eyes and got a wicked grin on her face. "Why not? It worked so well last time, as you recall Besides, I don't care about you finding me out; I still have the upper hand here."

Ash stood forward and said, "What makes you say that?"

"Simple. Are you willing to attack me while I'm in this body? After all, this chick is just a pawn in this little game of ours. Try to hurt me, and you'll just end up hurting her. I can get away without a scratch while she's left to be the victim of your wrath."

Patty teared up and cried out, "LET MOMMY GO!"

Fantina glided forward, shouting, "Do not worry, petite fille. Two can play at this game." She then flew into Beauty's body. It convulsed for a while before Haunter eventually flew out, his body littered with scratches.

("Meddlesome, little—")

Haunter never got the chance to say anything else, as Patty fired a Thunderbolt in his direction. Haunter just narrowly dodged the attack, but when he turned to face Patty, he got scared at her expression. She angrily glared at Haunter, telling him, "Never mess with me or Mommy again!"

("Fine, I'll leave, but don't think you've won this war, brats! We'll be back!") Haunter shouted in his Pokémon tongue before he flew back to the lab.

Zoey ran after him. Ash called out to her, "Wait! Where are you going?"

Zoey looked back at Ash and said, "I'm following Haunter, of course. Now we have a chance to foil Ryder's plans once and for all. I'm not letting that opportunity slip by. I'll leave marks to let you know where I'm going in case you decide to follow me."

As Zoey left, Fantina got out of Beauty's body. Patty ran over to Beauty and started shaking her. "Mommy? Mommy! Please, wake up!"

Beauty opened her eyes and stared at Patty's face. She then got tears in her eyes, hugged Patty and said, "Are you all right? I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"No, Mommy. You're just fine. That mean Haunter is gone. I scared him off."

Beauty smiled warmly and said, "I'm so proud of you, Dear."

Patty started crying. "Oh, Mommy! Don't scare me like that again!"

While Beauty was comforting Patty, Dawn looked to Ash and said, "We need to follow Zoey and Haunter to make sure nothing else bad happens."

Ash nodded and said, "I agree, but it might be best if I stay here. I might be too big to sneak around that place."

Dawn said, "I understand. If it's alright with you, I'd like Pikachu to come with me."

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulders and said, "Pi! Pikachu!" ("You can count on me!)

Dawn then called out, "Let's go, Piplup!"

Dawn's Piplup ran out and got to Dawn's side. Ash asked, "When did Piplup get here?"

"I asked Professor Oak if I could use the PC to send Piplup over here from Professor Rowan's lab to help out in case we needed him. As soon as I got Piplup, I told him that I might need him to help out with rescue operations. He just told me to give the word and he'd save the day."

Piplup puffed out his chest and boldly declared, ("That's right! I'll do anything to help out those in need!")

Dawn looked at Piplup and said, "Yeah, that's real cute and all, but I'd prefer it if you didn't do so much grandstanding while we're there."

Piplup slouched down in embarrassment and said, ("All right. I will.")

Ash gave Pikachu a rub on his head and said, "I'm counting on you, buddy. Make sure everyone's safe, okay?"

"Pika! Pi, Pikachu!" ("I'll do my best!")

Dawn ran out the door, Pikachu and Piplup following close behind, determined to make sure no one else suffered because of Ryder.


	7. Human Pokémon Chapter 7

Dawn, Piplup and Pikachu made their way through the forests outside Professor Oak's lab, following claw marks left by Zoey on several trees. After a while, they found Zoey outside a window leading to the lab Dawn and the others had just escaped from.

"What took you so long?" Zoey sarcastically asked.

"There's no time for jokes, Zoey. Is this where Haunter went?" Dawn said.

"Obviously. Why else would I be risking myself by standing outside this place?"

("What are we waiting for, then? Let's go and teach these guys a lesson!") Piplup responded, puffing out his chest in confidence.

("Piplup, wait! We need a strategy.") Pikachu pointed out, causing Piplup to look down out of embarrassment. ("Dawn, Zoey, what do you know of this place?")

"I remember when I was brought in here," Zoey said. "There were three labs with those machines that switched our bodies around. If we're going to cause the most damage here, we need to destroy those machines."

"That's it, then. We'll have to split up. Zoey, what moves do you have?"

"As a Glameow? I remember that my body gave off a Thunderbolt when Glameow first realized it had a human body. So I know for sure that I can use Thunderbolt."

"That's great! Then with Pikachu's several Electric-type moves and my Discharge, we should have no problem overloading the machines. Piplup, you come with me to provide backup."

("You can count on me, Dawn!")

"Then it's settled," Zoey said. "I'll take the equipment in the northwest hall, Dawn and Piplup can take the northeast, leaving Pikachu to handle the southern hall's equipment."

("I don't think splitting up is such a good idea, guys.") Pikachu responded.

"Don't worry, Pikachu," Dawn said. "Everything will work out."

"As a precautionary measure, though, let meet up in the cells. We can escape through the window like last time," Zoey said.

"Fine by me."

("Got it!")

("I'm still not sure about this, but okay.")

With that, the four went their separate ways.

(Ryder's Lab: Southern Hall)

Pikachu walked through the air ducts of the lab as quietly as he could. He witnessed the bodies of many women Ash and he had met in the past dressed as Pokémon and going through some sinister training.

After a while, Pikachu walked over a dining hall, where Lenora and Zoey's bodies were enjoying some dinner. Lenora's body was dressed in a Watchog suit while Zoey's body wore a Glameow suit.

"Wilma, did you hear about Haunter?" Zoey's body asked.

"What about him, Giselle?" Wilma asked.

"Apparently, he botched up an important mission and is going to be punished because of it."

"Really? What are they going to do to him?"

"I heard that he's going to become a Human Pokémon, like us!"

"Isn't that a good thing, though?"

"Not for him. From what I've heard, he flat-out refused to become a Human Pokémon when Master Ryder first proposed the idea to him. Now, he has no choice but to become one of us."

"Hmph! Serves him right, treating the rest of us like weaklings just because we wanted to be something more than just mere Pokémon."

Pikachu continued walking before he heard anything else. He had a job to do and couldn't afford to get sidetracked by conversations like that.

He moved so swiftly he didn't notice the bottom of one part of the duct was broken. When he did notice, it was too late, as he was falling down into the lab he had wanted to infiltrate. As soon as he landed, wires came out of nowhere, attached themselves to him and sent a strong current coursing through his body, causing him to black out.

(Ryder's Lab: Northwest Hall)

Zoey ran around in circles several times before she finally got her pursuers off her tail. She had just fried the machine she came to destroy, but was too late to prevent it from being used one last time. Now, she had to go to the cells in the lab, if only to free the latest victim in Ryder's insane plan.

(Ryder's Lab: Southern Hall)

Pikachu woke up and immediately released a Thunder attack toward the ceiling. Luckily, the reflective cover of the lamp over his face redirected the attack to a box-like machine by the table he was just laying on.

As Pikachu jumped off the table, he noticed a few things that seemed out of the ordinary. First, everything seemed smaller to him, much smaller than a Pikachu would be used to in a place like this. Second, his jump from the table to the floor was much shorter than it should have been.

Based on these observations, Pikachu concluded that he somehow got taller. He started to question how when he noticed one last thing. On the table right beside the one he was just on was a Pikachu. This one was still asleep, so he reached out to wake it up. Only then did he stop and realize why everything seemed so strange to him.

He was staring at a human woman's hand, clad in a yellow elbow-length glove. He knew that this was the hand he was trying to use as it did all the movements he wanted it to. As he looked at the rest of his body, he noticed the rest of the woman's body, dressed in the same kind of performance suit that he saw the other women wearing, but with a Pikachu motif.

Looking around the room, he noticed a mirror tucked away in a far corner of the room. Rushing over and taking a look, Pikachu gasped when he saw the face of Elesa, the Gym Leader of Nimbasa City, staring back at him.

"This can't be happening!" Pikachu said, taking note of Elesa's voice leaving his new lips.

("Ugh! What's going on? Where am I?")

Pikachu looked over to see his old body, now inhabited by Elesa, sitting up on the table.

Nervously walking over to the table, Pikachu looked at Elesa and said, "Hey. How are you feeling?"

As soon as Elesa saw her body talking to her, she stared at the Pikachu body she now possessed and was about to scream with terror. Luckily, Pikachu covered Elesa's mouth.

"Shh! Do you want the bad guys to come in here and put us both in chains?"

After calming down, Elesa asked, ("How did this happen? Who are you?")

"I'm Ash Ketchum's Pikachu, and that's my body you're using now."

("So we somehow switched bodies?")

"Yes. It's a long story, but it'll have to wait until later. Right now, we need to get out of here and meet up with my friends. We came in to destroy the machines that switched our bodies. There are more like us that are fighting against the man that did this to us. Will you help us in our fight?"

("Normally, I'd chalk a tale like that up to lunacy, but with the proof right in front of me, I believe you. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do my best to help!")


End file.
